Richardson, Upstate rout Niagara 23-6 in opener

Friday

Feb 15, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 16, 2013 at 12:34 AM

Trey Richardson drives in eight runs as the Spartans roll to open the season on Friday.

By TODD SHANESYtodd.shanesy@shj.com

Opening day was a hit for USC Upstate. Actually, it was a lot of hits.The Spartans knocked 20 of them Friday afternoon and sent Niagara over the falls in a barrel with a 23-6 victory at Harley Park. USC Upstate had a 9-2 lead after the first two innings, adding six-run frames in the fifth and seventh to go up by a whopping 21 runs. First baseman Trey Richardson drove in a whopping eight. Hitting seventh in the batting order, he had a two-run double, a three-run double and a three-run homer. He also walked twice.“I think we picked up where we left off last year (finishing second in the Atlantic Sun Conference),” Richardson said. “I feel like everybody is confident. It was a great game for us at the plate and we were solid all around.”Gaither Bumgardner, the reigning Atlantic Sun player of the year, went 5-for-5 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Bumgardner, who hit .376 last season after .371 the previous year, is already the player to catch in the batting race.“That was a lot of fun,” he said. “We work hard on our hitting and this will make us feel pretty good about what we can do.”Luke Webber from Spartanburg High School drove in the first run of the season with a double and later added a three-run double. Tyler Miller went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Daniel Seeba and Robbie Morris also added two hits each.“We were hitters tonight. I was pleased,” USC Upstate head coach Matt Fincher said. “We're going to see better pitching as we go along, but, hopefully, this means we will be competitive.”Pitching talent that the Spartans will face takes a major upturn at 4 p.m. today when USC Upstate faces No. 12 Kentucky and junior left-hander Corey Littrell, ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in the Southeastern Conference.Littrell pitched against USC Upstate last season and allowed only two hits in seven innings while striking out eight and walking one as the Wildcats took a 6-0 victory. “We're looking forward to it. We'll see how we do,” Fincher said. “Last year, I don't think we gave it our best shot. I'd like to see how we do against him a second time. But it's good to see a pitcher and a team of that caliber.”Bumgardner and Jordan Stampler had the only hits against Kentucky last season.“It's a tough matchup and a tough game for us,” Bumgardner said. “We have a lot of respect for (Littrell). But it's going to make us better.”USC Upstate opening-day starting pitcher Brandon Lee went six innings to pick up the win. He had a shaky second inning, giving up two doubles and a walk to the first three hitters, allowing two runs, but settled into a groove after that. Niagara had only one more hit against Lee, who retired 12 of the next 14.“He settled in nicely,” Fincher said. “I think his slider got a little bit better and his location got a little bit better, too. He went out there and got comfortable.”Of course, all those runs of support can make a pitcher quite comfy and cozy.

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